Pokemon Sword and Shield is out later this year, but first wave of news about bringing the game's starters into the greater Pokemon universe may have just hit. Grookey, Sobble, and Scorbunny all make an appearance on some recently shared artwork for the forthcoming Pokemon anime.
The adorable new starters in Pokemon Sword and Shield are the sad water-type Sobble, the monkey grass type Grookey, and the fire bunny Scorbunny, all following the Pokemon tradition of the water, fire, and grass trifecta. The three appear alongside Sylveon, Shaymin and Alolan Vulpix on the cover of the official Pokemon 2020 calendar.
The art was tweeted out by Youtuber/Pokemon insider Paul Ryan with the caption "The official Pokémon 2020 with anime logo cover. Features SwSh starters, Sylveon, Shaymin and Alolan Vulpix!" This implies that for the next season of the Pokemon anime the latest generation of Pokemon will appear. The starters being there may suggest that more Galar Region Pokemon will be featured in the show, which does correspond with what's been announced.
This news comes following the announcement that the next season of Pokemon will be a reboot of sorts for the anime series. The show will simply be titled Pokemon and The Pokemon company has said it's a minor reboot. The trailer shown earlier this month features starter Pokemon from every generation, including the upcoming one. This story will include all regions and its looking like Galar could be an early focus.
The possibilities for a Pokemon show starring Galar Pokemon is exciting, and not just because this generation is shaping up to have some of the funniest Pokemon of all time. Seeing a new generation on TV interacting with old generations could bridge the gap between the game audience and anime audiences. It seems like the Pokemon Company is trying to create a more unified and coherent world, as is the trend in the world's biggest franchises right now.
At very least, it's clear Pokemon is expanding. The franchise has been dipping its toes in several markets, not simply games, television, and merchandise anymore. With a successful feature film this year, Detective Pikachu and the recent release of another mobile title with Pokemon Masters, Pokemon is setting the stage to be bigger than ever in 2020.
Pokemon Sword and Shield releases on November 15, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.